Day 40 - Andoany (Hell-Ville) Nosy-Be, Madagascar

Andoany (Hell-Ville) Nosy-Be, Madagascar It is exciting to be here! Lemurs are the choice for today. Once again it is terribly hot and humid. There is little point in saying that because that is just the way it is in Africa, summer in the southern hemisphere, and so close to the equator. This is a tendered port again. There was quite the warning that if you were not mobile you could not get off in this port. Actually, the tender was not that much of a challenge, but our tour boat was. The step down the boat was 3-4 ft. Luckily the crew for the tour was strong and able to help everyone get on and off. It was also a water landing on the Isle of Lemurs. 

The return trip was “plan C” for disembarking the tour boat. We ended up getting on one of the tenders and proceeding up the ramp from there. There was an equally tall step up but with assistance everyone made it! They did have to lift one woman up. She was small and her legs simply could not make the stretch. The tour itself was a lot of fun and we did see many lemurs. Stuart fed them and I got photos. Most of the group had moved on and I didn’t feel comfortable going down into the area where they were because it was steep and a very long stretch. I could get down but not sure I could get back up. The group went on after the lemur experience but we headed back down the hill. Yes, it is steep, humid, hot, and very little shade. We are drinking lots of water and liquid IV but I am not sure how much it helps. After coming back down the hill, we still had free time.

We bought a few things including vanilla and a few trinkets. We were famished so we headed to a restaurant for pizza and beer. That was not necessarily the plan but that is what was being served! It really did taste good. It is an early departure from port today 3p. We were back on board around 1:30 and feeling pretty exhausted. We did get up at 5:45a to begin the day.

The dinner plan tonight was French Bistro Dinner with Jeff and Susan. Sandy was going to join us but she was not feeling well from overdoing it in the heat today. Jeff, Susan, and Sandy are going on the Canada Rail trip Stuart has planned for May 2024. It was nice to get to know them.


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